Opinion On tube,the wrong game
The Ranji Trophy kicked off on Friday with an unprecedented (in recent memory) cast of international stars taking part
The Ranji Trophy kicked off on Friday with an unprecedented (in recent memory) cast of international stars taking part. Sachin Tendulkar cracked 137 off 136 balls for Mumbai,while a power-packed Delhi top order,including the likes of Virender Sehwag,Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli,fell for a modest score against a UP attack led by Praveen Kumar. Zaheer Khan will soon take the new ball for Mumbai,while Suresh Raina will face up to Ishant Sharma at Ghaziabad. VVS Laxman and Harbhajan Singh are on show at Mohali; a rampaging Umesh Yadav has run through Haryana at Lahli; Ravichandran Ashwin awaits his turn at Cuttack.
But TV viewers will not get to watch any of this. Instead,ESPN are telecasting the Bengal vs Rajasthan game from Eden Gardens. Rajasthan are the defending Ranji champs,and Bengal feature the likes of Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha,but clearly,it isnt the same as watching Tendulkar or Sehwag.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India have argued that the schedule for live matches was already drawn up two months ago,but how difficult was it to change this list,when theyve shifted the IPL across continents with barely any notice?
Most of the state associations knew three weeks ago that their star players were available for selection. With no matches for two weeks before the Tests against England,it was natural that the India players would look for Ranji Trophy action to get back in the groove.
The BCCI,therefore,had a chance to change the TV schedule as soon as they read reports of India players turning up for their respective state teams,but its too late now.
At a time when the BCCI are worried about a lack of interest in the domestic game,this was the perfect moment to promote the Ranji Trophy as a chance for fans to settle into their sofas for four days of quality cricket. A chance missed.
Devendra is a special correspondent based in Mumbai
devendra.pandey@expressindia.com
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